Earthbound X Mario
by MegaLuigiX
Summary: As two vile beings unite, two worlds fuse. Friends turn into enemies, and an ancient race's artifact is gone. It is up to a young boy and a green plumber to save the day!
1. Prologue: The Calm, The Storm and Calm

Bowser returned from yet another crushing, humiliating defeat against his arch nemesis, Mario. Sighing, we went slowly back to his throne, thinking yet again on how to conquer Mushroom Kingdom.  
_Damn that Mario, who always messes up my plans._ He thought to himself. _If only there was a way to stop him…_  
"Your Evilness!" Came the voice of Bowser's trusted advisor, Kamek. "I have found something interesting!"  
"Bah." Bowser simply muttered. "If Mario can defeat this, forget it."  
"B-but Your Majesty! J-just look!" Kamek nearly screamed with excitement. Bowser, taken slightly aback by his lackey's joy, took the book in his hands.  
The page he looked detailed a orb, which seemed to have a spiral in the center. It didn't have much description, except for a passage:  
"_This orb grants the holder(s) the ability to control minds. The power it grants can control even the most strong-minded or strong-willed person._"  
Bowser let a smirk run on his face. If he got this orb, he could have Mushroom Kingdom! Mario would no longer be a threat! Instead, he would be enslaved! And like every second of his new life!  
He spurted out his trademark evil laugh. "At _last…_ I have found my ticket to glory! This time, NOTHING WILL STOP ME!"  
Kamek then adjusted his glasses. "Well, Your Nastiness, there is somebody who wants to talk to you about this…"  
As Bowser quickly looked at the entrance, he was met with a human inside a mechanical spider-looking…thing. The man looked extremely old, yet at the same time, very young. His white hair had some golden locks yet in display, albeit in little numbers.  
Bowser approached the visitor. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"  
The figure grinned. "My name is Porky. And I have a suggestion for you…Bowser."

Mario was greeted with a warm welcome party at Peach's Castle, courtesy of Toadsworth. All Toads swarmed in, trying to get an autograph of the ever-popular hero. Peach giggled as the hero was sorting out the line.  
Mario, however, wasn't paying much attention to the Toads. Not even Peach. His mind hovered to his brother. Whenever he did a job, Mario got the credit. Toads sometimes even dissed him. He wanted to make sure his brother could get some of the attention. Speaking of him…  
"Hey, Peach." Mario said. "Is my bro here?"  
Peach shook her head. "He wanted to give this to you, though." She handed over a piece of paper. As Mario unfolded, he saw it was a drawing. It was a sketch of Luigi holding a piece of paper(PAPERCEPTION) with the words: "You go, bro!" while winking.  
Mario smiled at the gift Luigi gave him, and stored on his pocket. "I guess he's housekeeping for the sake of security." He commented.  
Peach nodded. "He's quite stubborn, I have to say. I wanted to invite him, but he said just that and a plus on being a burden. He really can get that low self-esteem sometimes…I'm worried."  
Mario grabbed her hand softly. "Peach, don't worry. He'll get better. I know my bro like myself!" Just then, a hard wind blows. Mario instantly prepared for battle. Peach seemed ready to fight as well, as she stood alongside Mario.  
A bunch of persons dressed in a combo of a pig helmet and pink clothes came in and stood in two lines. They soon saluted. Mario was about question what was happening, when a shadow came at top speed and hit him. Mario stumbled a bit, but he soon returned to his stance.  
His opponent was using a black helmet, and a red jacket. His pants were yellow, and some fragments of yellow hair could be seen. Mario instantly dashed towards his aggressor, with a fireball in hand. The mysterious opponent dodged.  
"It's not nice to drop by without an invite, important figure or not!" Peach commented, as she striked the foe with a frying pan. The masked man began to charge and…use a sword?  
Mario dodged the surprise attack, and greeted the man's face with a drop kick. The aggressor stumbled back before falling down. Mario calmly approached him and touched the masked man. As he was not moving, Mario grabbed him and took down the helmet. What both him and Peach saw took them by surprise.  
"Lu-LUCAS?!" Indeed, the agressor was none other than the kid he was sometimes looking after like a son in the Smash Tournament. Peach gasped and hold her hand on her mouth. "What happened to him?" She asks.  
"It's not like you would care." A new voice spoke.  
As Mario and Peach looked behind them…everything went blank.

Luigi was sleeping on the couch after a rough day. He did not notice a portal sucking him in.

Ness dodged another attack of the enemy. His group were struggling to keep themselves alive.  
"PK Healing Gamma!" He muttered. The group was feeling more refreshed now.  
"Thanks, Ness." Paula said between a heavy breathing.  
"They just keep coming!" Jeff commented.  
"We still can take them down." Poo reassured the team.  
The group looked at the enemies left. The only one left was a red Parakoopa.  
"PK Fire Beta!" Paula and Ness called. As both flame pillars connected the turtle screamed in pain and left the battle.  
Ness cleaned himself of sweat in his head. "Phew! That was rough!"  
"We did it!" She said, hugging Ness. Soon after, Jeff and Poo hugged Ness too. (Although Poo was very reluctant.)  
"…Guys…I can sense somebody coming!" Ness commented. While Paula silently whined and Jeff cursed, Poo remained stoic and ready.  
All of a sudden, Bowser showed up, roaring fiercely. Ness got in his battle stance, but then… A cage surrounded him.  
"What?" He asks in surprise.  
"Up there!" Paula commented. As the rest of the crew looked up, the Koopalings were in control of the cage.  
Ness, all of a sudden, felt everything blur out. He noticed he was sinking as well… As he noticed a portal beneath his feet, he tried to scream, but couldn't. His friends were…also captured?  
It seemed like Paula was calling him…  
Ness sunk into the portal.

Luigi opened his eyes uneasily.  
_Pink…? Wait, what?!_  
Immediately, he shot awake. Not that he hated pink or anything, but his house certainly didn't have pink on it!  
After taking a better look at the place, it looked like he wasn't in the Mushroom Kingdom anymore. The place was full of pink clouds. He almost certainly he wouldn't dream of this.  
As he tried to pinch himself, his hand was stopped for a moment. Hold on for a moment. A voice whispered in his ears, making him shudder. You must proceed.  
"Proceed? To where?" He tried to ask, but it seemed the voice disappeared, so he needed to figure out.  
…Or walk out in front, as at his back was a huge cliff of pink clouds.  
Walking towards the front, he noticed the world wasn't…"desert" as he thought. There were some houses, and some persons around. Then he noticed somebody lying on the ground. Red cap…blue and yellow stripes…he knew the kid very well.  
"Ness?!" He rushed towards the kid, only to notice him waking up, prompting a forced break on Luigi's part. Being this a very serious story, we do need some time for comedy, so… they collide at each other and are sent rolling to a few centimeters away.  
Both stayed silent for a while, before Luigi got out of Ness, saying: "I dunno how I got here."  
Ness chuckled, glad to see the green-clad plumber. "It's alright."  
Luigi turns to see more of the place. "Is this… Magicant?"  
Ness glances around as well. "Yeah, but… this is MY Magicant, not…that other one."  
A voice suddenly came and whispered into both: "Yes."  
Luigi, recognizing the voice, screamed "Who are you?!"  
The owner of said voice suddenly materialized in front of them. It was a woman, in a red dress, and had black hair.  
"Luigi, Ness…" She started. "Your worlds…are connected. And they are in big trouble."


	2. Chapter 1: The Journey Starts!

"Fused?" Ness asked, confused. "But how?!"

"It all came down to Bowser and Porky's misdeeds." The lady answered. "The fusion came...when both created an portal to meet each other."

Luigi looked deep in thought. 'So Bowser and this Porky guy are working together...What happened? Did they decide to-'

"Both came across the Amida Orb." The lady suddenly said. "This orb has the power to control minds."

"Then... How come we weren't controlled?" Luigi asked, looking surprised. The lady giggled innocently. "Well, I pulled you two away."

"So that's why I got sucked into a portal." Ness commented. "But why are we in my Magicant?"

"Your mind is the safest place for now." The lady replied. "I must create a mind barrier for you."

"Wait." Luigi said. The lady looked at him curious. "Who are you, and how do you know all this?"

The lady giggled again, only shyly. "Oh, forgot to introduce myself. My name is Aria. And I am one of the kind that created the Amida Orb."

"Right. So, Aria..." Luigi started. "How come they found the Orb?"

Aria took a bit of time to think, as she walked around aimlessly for a couple of seconds, when she said "I can't recall...My memory is failing me. For some reason, I can only remember some things about myself..."

Luigi and Ness looked at each other in mild surprise.

Mario uneasily opened his eyes, to find himself in a cage. He could do little to move, as chains prevented him to go further.

"It's no use." Somebody said. "These are too strong."

Mario turned to see a blonde in a pink dress (which wasn't Peach,BTW.)She was wearing a red bowtie, and she was barely reaching his neck.  
"Who are you...?" He asked her weakly.

"...Paula. Paula Polestar..." She said, with also a weak tone.

"...Is this Bowser's castle?" Mario asks, mostly to himself.

"This might be Porky's base of operations..." Paula answered.

"Porky..." Mario muttered. He heard that name once...but where?

"I can say it's a fusion of both." A new voice came. Paula growled in anger, while Mario hoisted his head up to see the newcomer.  
Porky smiled in a very maniacal manner. "Hello, Paula. And you must be Mario."

Mario narrowed his eyes in anger. "You...attacked me."

"That's right." Suddenly Bowser showed up. Mario scowled once his eternal archenemy showed up once again.

That's when the red-clad plumber remembered. "Where's Peach? And Luigi?!"

Bowser snapped his fingers, and the once dark prison was illuminated. There were more cages, and they held some of their friends! All of them were unconscious however. Mario did not see his beloved brother near them.

"Where is Luigi?!" He asked, a tone of worry and anger raising up.  
Porky only smiled darkly. No...he couldn't have...

Mario, all of a sudden, have got enough to rush up to the end of cage, breaking the chains holding him beforehand. "**LIES! LIES, LIES, LIES!**" he screeched.

Bowser laughed at his archenemy's sudden burst. "Well, he isn't dead...yet."  
Mario growled. He could only hope his brother would save him...

Bowser returned to his throne. He snickered as he grabbed the orb.

"What do you want from me?" Said Captain Toad, being held by a couple of Hammer Bros.

"Simple." Porky said, appearing from the shadows. "You are going to help us."

"Never!" Captain Toad said, feeling a bit of courage to take down Bowser. The Hammer Bros. made a strange movement, which Captain Toad soon noticed what happened. 'I can't close my eyes!'

Bowser lifted the orb, and a blue aura boomed around the room. True to it's word, Captain Toad was soon hypnotized.  
His normal eyes now had a dull blue shine, and eye bags made appearances.

He bowed down, asking "What is your bidding, Masters?" His voice dull and lifeless.  
Bowser and Porky laughed evilly.

Luigi and Ness woke up from Magicant, after a few tips from Aria, and a spell to prevent the hypnosis from working.

They found themselves next to a mining base. "Okay, so... where should we start looking for them?" Luigi asked.

"Let's check the mining base!" Ness suggested. Seeing as they didn't have other places to check, they entered it.

The one thing they didn't notice was an operating drone.


	3. Chapter 2: Mine Trouble!

The Blue Toad was thrown into the cell. It had hurt, but he managed to get up. He saw his Brigade comrades, all in shock and surprise.

"Why did you do that, Captain?!" The Toad called the captor. Indeed, their very own captain has captured them. Standing before their own eyes, the captain just looked, his dull eyes looking at his previous teammates.

"When I tried to lead, none of you would follow." He said, his voice as dull as his eyes were. "When I tried to talk, none of you would listen. Only Master Bowser and Master Porky stood by me and believed in me."

"Captain, this is nonsense!" The Blue Toad retorted. "You…you'd never team up wi—"

"**SILENCE!**" Their captain screeched. The Toad Brigade stood shocked at their captain. His fury was unsettling.

"You are all cowards…" He muttered, venom emerging from his voice. "Hammer Bro, keep them in the cell until I decide what punishment they deserve."

"Yes, sire!" The Hammer Bro saluted. Captain Toad let out an evil laugh as left.

"Captain…" The yellow Toad muttered, nearly tearing up. The rest of the Brigade hugged their teammate, out of desperation and sadness.

"Don't worry, Yellow. Maybe…we'll find out what happened to the Captain." Blue Toad consoled him, though he wasn't sure if they would actually know what happened to their once naïve and caring leader. In fact, he thought they would never know.

But he shrugged that hopelessness off. He needed to be strong now. His teammates needed all help they could get. So did he.  
The Toads embraced themselves, longing for hope and warmth.

Luigi checked on the rough edges on the entrance for a map. Seeing as it had none, he motioned Ness to trek forward. Both really didn't like the fact that a map was absent.  
"Navigating is going to be a pain…" Ness complained.

"My thoughts exactly." Luigi called.

Suddenly, Ness sensed a slight pain on his head. That was his psyche senses. "We're not alone here." The boy said.

"Friends or enemies?" Luigi asked. As in that moment, two Koopas riding really strange drill machines appeared on their field of vision.

"I don't think they are here for a chat…" Ness commented. Luigi could only nod. As a Koopa began to accelerate towards them, Luigi grabbed Ness, and used his amazing jumping abilities to…well, jump over them. The Koopas started chasing them.

"You think we'll outrun them?!" Ness asked to his friend. Luigi replied with a hasty "We can only try!" However, the drill machines gave the creatures more speed than the heroes did.

"They are closing in!" Ness warned Luigi. Luigi, looking behind, knew there was no choice. He jumped backwards, and ground-pounded one of the machines. The glass cracked, and the Koopa inside panicked. The machine, without the Koopa's control, crashed towards the other machine. Both culminated into a explosion, and both Koopas got up to attack the heroes.  
Luigi chuckled and jumped on one of them, and said Koopa hided under his shell, and got promptly kicked away, taking his partner along.  
Ness stood befuddled at his partner. Was that all part of a plan of his? Just if he had any confirmation, the machines started running again. Ness quickly raised his hands and made a fireball.

"PK Fire Alpha!" He threw the fireball, and the machines exploded once again, only this time they stayed as a pile of rubble.

Both heroes looked at each other and sighed. Not even the first world was going to be easy.

Mario paced back and forth between the cage he shared with Paula. He needed to find a way out… he tried all kinds of things but nothing was working.

"Mr. Mario?" Paula called the plumber. Mario turned to her. "You can just call me 'Mario', Paula. What is it?"

"I…managed to link with Ness…he's with Luigi. On some sort of mines…" She said, panting a bit. To Mario, it was clear she was exhausted for liking with Ness's mind. He could understand that.

"Paula, you're wasting too much energy. You got to rest a bit." Mario said to her. She was grateful Mario cared about her wellbeing, but she wanted to keep the link for a while. However, this was proving to be difficult, since it was consuming too much of her energy. So, she felt it was necessary to cut the link.

As Mario noticed her breathing became stable, he turned to the cage with Peach. She was with Lucas and Jeff. "How's Lucas?" he asked. Jeff turned to him and adjusted his glasses.

"He'll recover soon." The boy answered simply. Mario felt a bit of relief, but his anger came out when Bowser and Porky appeared again. Mario was more tranquil, due to knowing his brother was okay.

"I see you'll be visiting us often." Mario said, his voice calm but which a twitch of anger. Bowser knew this was his arch nemesis, so he couldn't argue with the way he acted.

"Well, you see this?" Bowser said, showing the Amida Orb. "This orb will make you my slave. Just like him!" He then showed, in a hologram, the hypnotized Captain Toad.

"Is there anything you want me to do, Master Bowser?" The Toad asked, his voice still dull and lifeless.

"Imprison Ness and Luigi. We cannot let them ruin our plans!" Bowser commanded. As Captain Toad bowed and turned off the projection, Bowser laughed.

"This will be you in a couple of days. Enjoy your last days of free will!" He said, laughing while leaving. Porky only smirked evilly.

Mario could only growl. He needed to find somewhere to escape.  
"Mario…" Peach whispered quietly. She was worried about the dangers that would happen to him. Jeff pulled her dress slightly to call her attention.

"He'll be fine." Jeff said. "I know he will." He could only keep their hopes strong.

A quiet smile grew on Peach.


	4. Chapter 3: Digging Deep Secrets

Lucas groaned as he opened his eyes. He had no idea what happened.  
As he looked around, he noticed his vision was too blurry. He got up slowly, and he started to see clearly. He made out two figures...

"Miss...Peach?" He muttered,seeing the princess in a clear way. Peach stared at him with a quiet smile.

"Finally awake, Lucas." She said. As the boy sat on the ground,he took notice he was imprisoned.

"Why are we here?" He asked the princess, keeping himself calm. Peach explained the whole situation.

"Bowser and Porky have teamed up to take over our worlds. They have this weird mind control thing that made Captain Toad their servant! But Ness and Luigi are still out there, and they are going to save us!"

Lucas smiled quietly. "Ness and Luigi...where are they?"

Peach only replied with a small " I don't know."

Lucas sighed. "I guess it's only up to them now...to save us. And the world."

Peach nodded, confident in them. She saw a glint in Lucas's eyes. He knew. She knew. They all knew.  
They knew they'd come for them.

As Luigi and Ness silently walked into a huge tunnel, they kept themselves alert. A enemy could drill at any moment. Some monster could jump up anytime.

"Geez,it's gotten hot in here." Luigi said, wiping some of the newly-formed sweat on his face. He turned around to see Ness with the same issue.

"We gotta find somewhere to rest." The kid said to the nodded,so they searched for a place to slow down. As they walked, they started to notice the ground became less dirt and more metal.

The duo kept walking until then found heavy light. As they soon discovered, it was more like a factory...  
...With loads and loads of Mr. Saturn working on it.

"Mr. Saturns?! Here?" Ness asked astonished.

"Oi! Intruders!" Came the voice of a Koopa. "Attack!" he screeched, and four machines appeared towards the heroes.  
Luigi sighed and jumped high, stomping one of the machines. Ness instantly remembered that: It was one of their team tactics in Smash!

"PK Fire Alpha!" the kid called. The machine instantly caught on fire. But the pilot had a little problem processing what just happened. Instants later, the pilot screamed.

"AHHH! I'M ON FIRE! HEEELP! AMAGOD AM ON FIRE! FIIIIIIIIRRRREEEE!" He then rushed off, and the heroes focused on the 'fight'. Ness grabbed a machine and reinforced his strength with his PSI, hurling the machine on another, while Luigi did the same, but he whacked the Koopa with said machine.

The band of machines defeated (alongside the leader Koopa), the Mr. Saturns ran to the heroes and jumped near them.

"They're happy we freed them!" Ness pointed out to his partner. Luigi let out a smile of relief.

Mario clicked.  
He finally, FINALLY had an idea.  
After spending hours gazing at the room, he had an idea.

"Paula, can you help me?" Mario asked his cell companion.

"Sure. What is it?" She replied.

"We're escaping." He said, with a confident smile on his face.

Paula wasn't sure on how would she help him, but went on anyway. "Want me to help with what?"

Mario smiled. "You know PK Fire, right? Using my fire and yours..."

She clicked. "...we can open a hole to escape!"

Mario nods, and readies a fireball. Paula concentrated her energy and a quiet bolt had materalised. Both were ready!  
"PK FIRE OMEGA!" With those words, both the fireball and the PSI manuever exploded, resulting in a hole within the cell. Paula and Mario hi-fived each other.  
However, the happiness was cut short when the alarm sounded.

"What?! How did they know?!" Mario questioned.

"Mario, go!" Paula said to the plumber.

"But what about you?" Mario asked. Paula just shook her head.

"Mario...I know you wanted all of us to escape. But...sometimes, many must be sacrificed for the sake of one. And trust me, you, between all of us, is the most capable."

Mario smiled and hugged Paula. "I'll help my bro and Ness save you. You all. I promise!"

Paula nodded. "Don't waste time! Get going!"

Mario, without any hesitation, jumped on the hole. Paula just looked at the hole and sat down, with a smile.

Even if she was brainwashed...

Even if Mario was captured again...  
She knew.  
She knew Luigi and Ness would save them.  
"You guys got this" She quietly muttered to herself.


	5. Chapter 4: My Magicant?

…_._

…_..._

…_..._

_...Black._

_That is all I can see._

_I feel...surrounded. By water._

_If so...how am I breathing?_

Luigi's thoughts had no stop. Where was he? It must be a dream. He was offered a rest on the mines by the Mr. Saturns! He couldn't have just warped to a dark ocean all of a sudden!

That's when he noticed a white block, soon followed by others, which began forming a staircase. Luigi felt like he needed to go up. And go up he did. The higher he got, the more he noticed that the ocean soon get a bright tint of mint green. Near the surface level, it was already brigther than his shirt! Curious, he went to the surface.

He was greeted by a sight of three planets rounding the endless ocean. The green-clad plumber was amazed at the sight, so amazed, he didn't even paid attention to him walking on said ocean like ground.

"What is this place?" He asked himself, befuddled. What he didn't expect was an answer.

"Welcome to your Magicant, Luigi." A familiar voice stated. Said plumber turned around to see the lady in red.

"Aria." He greeted. "So, this is my Magicant?"

"Yes. Breathtaking, isn't that right?" She asked him, looking as marveled as he was. He could only nod.

"And...this is my mind...all of my inner feelings..." He quietly mused to himself. "What are those planets?" He asked, pointing at one of them.

Aria stepped forward. "The Earth-like one represents your memories. The white one with the blue ring is your dreams. The blue one with the brown rings is your feelings."

Luigi gawked at the scenery once more, and then he notices something on the corner of his eye: a small pink cloud, floating about.

"Why do I have a pink cloud?" He asks Aria. She giggles.

"That's a piece of Ness's Magicant! Your minds and hearts are connected enough to synchronize Magicants." She explains.

"Synchronize Magicants? Sounds a nifty thing." He commented.

"Oh, but it is. I won't be able to tell you what it does though..you'll have to find out yourself." She said, disappearing.

"Why do you act so mysterious sometimes?" He asks in a playful manner.

She laughs while she vanishes from Luigi's sight.

And Luigi woke up. He yawned and settled down for a while.

"This is going to be a looooong adventure." he commented silently.

…...(Meanwhile, with the villains)...

"HE WHAT?!" Bowser screeched to one of his minions. Yep, the Koopa was definetely screwed.

"M-M-M-Mario escaped, Y-your Nastiness..." The Koopa stuttered. Bowser looked like a volcano about to explode. He stomped and roared, causing all mooks to run away in fear.

"IDIOTS!" He screamed. "A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!"

"Calm down, Bowser." Porky said calmly. "He'll be eliminated."

"I can't calm down! He has been thwarthing my plans for nearly 30 years." Bowser growled. "I know he will team up with his brother to save the worlds...AGAIN!"

Porky just smiled. "Don't worry. Even if he escapes, he won't get that far."

Bowser huffed, but calmed dowwn. Maybe Porky was right, and the Pigmasks would be able to contain him.

But if they don't, he'd be sure to "have a word" with him.

"Ugh..."Bowser groaned. "Contact Captain Toad. We need him to eliminate Luigi and Ness."

( Captain Toad's Mine)

"Ugh...Whoever is the head of these mines must really like lava!" Ness complained.

"That and how hot it is here." Luigi added.

After some time preparing with the Mr. Saturns, Luigi and Ness decided to find the boss of this place. Time passed, but nothing happened. Aside from some random Koopa workers who tried to attack them, but failed miserably. Now, standing alongside them in a platform with lava around it, was complete silence.

While Ness was thinking on how to reach the mysterious commander of the mines, Luigi just felt something was very, _very wrong_. It wasn't that simple. It's never that simple!

As if to prove his instincts correct, a rock of blazing magma started coming in their direction.

"NESS, WATCH OUT!" Luigi screamed before grabbing Ness and dodge rolling away from the burning rock. Both the psychic kid and the green-clad plumber turned to face their new foe. The magma rock started taking shape. It grew claws and wings. A face grew a beak and furious fiery eyes.

Luigi's eyes grew wider. "What's that?!"

"It looks like a giant pterodactyle stone golem thing! On fire!" Ness summarized the monster in panic.

The creature lunged forward, looking to rip out the two heroes out of existance. Luigi and Ness dodged the attack, but got nearly burned by it's blazing body.

"That thing's whole body is on fire! How can we attack it?!" the kid asked confused and afraid. The green-clad looked the miniboss's in and out, and after doing so, he smirked.

"That thing's whole body is on fire." He replied to Ness. "_Except for a part._"

Grabbing his trusty hammer, Luigi leaped towards the monster, said monster ready to swipe his claws at the plumber. However, Luigi managed to dodge the swipe, and delivered the clobbering to the 'stone bird'. Ness quickly took notice of it and decided to follow up with his favorite attack.

"PK Rockin Gamma!" Ness charged his psionic energy and threw at the 'golem bird', causing it to tumble and fall into the lava.

"Quick, run!" Luigi motioned to Ness. Both started to run away from the place, as the giant 'bird thing' would emerge back from the lava and do battle once again. After the two heroes getting enough distance, the stopped to gain their hurried breaths.

"Well...now I wish I had Mario's F.L.U.D.D. with me." Luigi said midst his panting.

"And I wish I knew a water type PSI." Ness commented, panting.

Both instantly caught glimpse of a elevator sitting there. They looked at each other, nodded, and decided to enter it.

Whatever lies ahead...they'd be ready.

The elevator started going down.

(Into Mario's location)

Mario's stomach grumbled. He haven't eaten for some time now. He wished he couldn't think of food right now. He was stuck into the air vents of whatever was Porky's and Bowser's place, no place to fall down quietly and escape.

He then smelled the scent of food. It smelled nice, so Mario quietly moved until he found where it was, just to nab a bit of it. He came to the kitchen where there was dozens of hot dogs in a table. There was also no sign of guards or chefs.

"_Just what I needed!_" He then opened the vent and grabbed 10 hot dogs. Moving away from the kitchen entrance, he made himself comfortable and ate them up, satisfying his plumber stomach.

As he was finally stuffed he heard a peculiar sound.

_Motors?_ He quietly came up to the source. It was coming from a different room full of motors and engines. It was also deserted from some reason.

Opening the vent, he decided to drop down and check the room. He locked the door from the inside, guaranteeing he could get back to the vent if needed. He stumbled upon the place's _engine room_. But why would they need a-

Wait.

There was a window nearby.

It showed an endless sea of clouds.

They were inside an _airship all along!_

Mario panicked a bit. But an idea sparkled in his head as he spotted an all-too-familiar backpack.

"Man, these guys just leave everything ready for people to escape." He muttered. Readying himself, he opened the window, the fast wind blowing in his face.

There was no time for hesitation. He needed to find his brother.

Muttering all courage possible, he jumped off the window and into the boundless sky...

And he shouted "YIPPEEEEEE!"


	6. Chapter 5: Chaotic Machinery

**Oh my god, how long has it been?! Jeez, I can't believe it took so long! But hey, I blame lack of time. And exams. And lack of ideas. And-okay you get the point.**

**Okay, so you might notice that I'm not one that updates often. But hey, I'll try to be consistent next time.**

The elevator stopped.

As they stepped out of the elevator, Luigi felt uncomfortable. He didn't knew what was ahead, but it still bothered him for some reason.

"Something wrong, Luigi?" Ness asked, noticing Luigi's unease.

"...I just feel something big is waiting for us." Luigi answers. "I wish I knew why am I like this, though..."

Ness patted him on the back. "Hey, don't worry. Aside from that pterodactyl thing, we've been doing pretty well." He said, trying to cheer him up.

Luigi flashed a quick smile. "Y-yeah...you're right." He says, taking off Ness's cap and ruffling his hair.

"H-Hey!" Ness exclaimed, chuckling.

"Hehe, don't get cocky though!" Luigi said, putting Ness's cap back where it was. Both smiled to each other and went towards the large corridor in front of them. As they advanced on the corridor, the cave aesthetic was lost completely, with technology overcoming the walls and 'ceiling'. Once it finally reached it's own end, the protagonists found themselves in a room with what it seemed to be a generator...and Captain Toad, staring at them with blank eyes.

"So, you have come." He mutters in a monotone voice.

"Captain Toad?" Luigi asks, befuddled. "Why are you here? Where are the others?"

"SILENCE!" the Toad suddenly screeched. "I AM GOING TO ELIMINATE YOU, BY THE ORDERS OF MASTER PORKY AND BOWSER!"

" 'Master' Porky?!" Ness recoiled, saying his enemy's name in disgust.

"And Bowser?!" Luigi did the same. "Toad! Snap out of it! They're controlling you!"

"SHUT UP!" Toad screeched some more. "I will take care of you personally." He says, venom spatting from his mouth.

But then he was met with silence. The two heroes stare at each other and then Luigi goes:

"Did you just said 'personally'"? He asks the captain.

"Yes." Toad replies, serious and stoic.

More silence. Luigi looked at Ness. Ness looked at Luigi. Both looked at Toad. Both look back at each other...

And laugh their faces off.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHHA!" Luigi lets out a cackle. "He-He said he's going go to personal!"

"Aw, what he's gonna do?" Ness asked mid-laughter. "Try to kick us with his tiny feet and nonexistent legs?"

"Well, you'll see." Toad said, a little enraged. He then summoned a robot, who was at least double Luigi's size. He jumped on the cockpit and started said robot, only to find Luigi and Ness donning mocking smiles.

"What?" He asks. "You guys aren't scared...not one bit?"

"We need to see if the operator's good at it, otherwise it falls really easy." Ness comments, shrugging.

"Well...I'll show you then!" Toad says, while controlling the robot, ready to lunge at the two.

000000000000

After what seemed like forever, Mario landed on ground.

Well, to be more accurate, water.

After submerging a few feet underwater due to the long fall, Mario seemingly touched the ground deep beneath this huge body of water.

For some reason, the plumber felt strangely calm, despite recent events. Water always seemed to have a great calming effect on him. Especially underwater. His mind soon came back to Peach and the others, and he began to swim back to the surface. Being a swimming natural and having the innate ability of breathing underwater, he reached the surface with ease.

Coming off of the water, he noticed he was in a lake. The ambient looked like a basic forest, with all kinds of flora and fauna. Mario took his time cleaning himself up and went straight to...well...somewhere.

Similar to cleaning his clothes, Mario took the exploration slow and steady. This place was unknown to him, and maybe to everyone. But that wasn't what mattered now. He needed to reunite with his brother and Ness. Help them in defeating Bowser and Porky, and get a well-earned rest.

After what seemed like hours walking around, Mario felt the necessity to rest. He sat on a nearby tree and observed the sun starting to set.

Adventuring in the night was going to be troublesome.

0000000000

Luigi and Ness were struggling. Toad was putting more of a fight than they expected.

"PK FLASH!"Ness called out, and fired the explosive flash of light at Toad. Toad merely stepped back and fired the robot's hand causing the projectile to explode...only to get another hand back.

"This isn't good..." Luigi groaned. "He's going to mop the floor with us if we're not careful."

"What should we do?!" Ness questions, panicking. "He doesn't seem to have any weak spots, and any attacks we threw he shrugged off!"

"What's wrong? Quitting now?!" Toad mocked, throwing a arm at Ness. Luigi noticed the attack and pushed Ness out of the way, taking the hit in the process. The arm pinned Luigi to a wall, and when it returned to it's owner, the green-clad plumber fell down, his body seemingly lifeless.

Ness only looked, horrified at what just happened. Moments later, his eyes flickered with the flames of rage. Frowning, he shouts and attacks Toad viciously with the bat.

But it only broke after a few hits.

Toad, grinning maliciously, grabbed Ness by the head and slammed him on the ground, followed by a stomp. It was over.

He emerged victorious, both heroes lied down defeated and maybe dead. Before he could turn back and report his success, however...

Luigi started to weakly raise himself. Toad wasted no time in reaction, firing his hand to punch him. However, Luigi maganed to unbeleivably stop it. The ex-captain looked in horror.

The green-clad plumber didn't knew how he managed to do that, but he took a glimpse on the pocket on his pants. There was a bracelet, and it was glowing blue.

He remembered those. These were gifts from the Mr. Saturns, which they called as Hyper Drive Bracelet, said to "unlock mysterious power within". The bracelet looked incredibly strange, black, thick, and seemingly had noting going for it. But now he was grateful for having those.

Feeling rejuvenated, the green-clad plumber inserted the bracelet on his arm and prepared himself. A jolt came across his body, but surprisingly it didn't hurt. His arms and hands started emanating electric energy, a blue aura surrounding him.

Luigi wasn't the only one recovered, oh no. Ness had a bracelet too, and he stood up, ready to take on Toad. Inserting the bracelet, a light blue aura enveloped his hands, and he readily adjusted his cap, smiling while ready to rock.

Toad just looked in shock. He attempts to attack them, but Luigi leaps forward snd strikes the robot, the attack leaving a heavy dent on it. Ness soon followed, throwing a huge fireball towards the bot,which exploded on Toad's face. The result was a little hole in its 'chest' area, revealing it's core.

Luigi, wasting no time, began charging a fireball. It eventually received the eletrical charge he was generating. The now-electric fireball sat running on his hand, growing bigger by the minute.

"Take this! Finishing blow..." Luigi warped to Toad,much to his and the others' surprise.

"**ELECTRIC...FIREBALL!**" He shouts, inserting the fireball into Toad's mech, much to the latter's chagrin.

With no time to react, the bot in itself exploded, Toad making it out alive, barring a few scratches. He seemed dizzy, the glow in his eyes seemingly vanishing. Ness took a few careful steps towards him.

"Um...have you snapped out of it yet?" The boy asks to the fungus. The latter recovers his vision and scratches his head.

"I'm sorry, who are you again?" Toad asks, intrigued. "And where am I?"

"Well...I'll explain soon." Ness answers.

0000000000

Bowser facepalmed. "Mario escaped, and he jumped out of the airship. At this rate, all that's left to ruin this day is that Captain Toad breaks free from the hypnosis."

Porky only observed a screen. "About that..." He shows the screen to Bowser, spying on the three.

The King of the Koopas roared ferociously. "STUPID IDIOTS! GODDAMNIT!" He roared some more until...

"Jeez, calm down, Master." Came a female voice from the shadows, seemingly braiding her hair. "Think about it. That was just a minor setback. Not even the 'mighty' Super Mario will be able to handle us." She said, letting out a princess-like laughter.

Bowser only sat down in frustration. "Just don't fail us like he did." He mutters, putting a claw on his face.

"I will make sure to make you proud, Master Bowser." She says, then leaves from the same shadows. Bowser groans.

"She's right, you know." Porky says, grabbing attention of the Koopa King. "No matter what they try, we will conquer the worlds regardless! There is no way to lose!" He starts laughing maniacally, until he starts coughing.

Bowser, however, left the throne and went for a walk. "Yes, ensure that this plan remains 'fail-proof' while we're at it." He says disheartened before leaving through the doors. As he walked through the corridors, he started to feel a small pain in his heart...and not in the literal way.

Was he feeling remorse? Regret? _Sadness_? No, it couldn't be! He was the merciless King of the Koopas! Anyone against him, he roasted them. Anyone who fails him, he roasted them as well! He shouldn't feel regret,right?!

..._Right...?_

_000000_00

After freeing all of the other Toads and having a heartfelt apology, Captain Toad reunites with Luigi and Ness, when Aria appearedin front of them.

"Magnificent, you two." She compliments. "But this is only the start."

"Well, yes, obviously." Ness replies. "We still have long ways to go..."

"Yes. Your next destination is Fourside." Aria informs. "I shall create a warp hole for you to traverse into."

"Excuse me, but can I go with you two?" Captain Toad asked. "I need to have my revenge on Bowser. Make him pay to what he made me do." He says in a desperate, but vengeful tone.

"...But how will you fight?" Luigi asks, this time not poking fun on Toad's aesthetics.

"That can be arranged." Aria speaks, and she starts rebuilding the mech Toad once used with her magic. It looked smaller than before, however. "Since some of the mech parts were too damaged for repairs, some of the features might not work." She informs.

"That's good enough for me, miss." Captain Toad said, and got on the mech. "Well, shall we?" He asks both the other heroes.

Luigi and Ness nod, and the three jump into the portal. When they exited, they were met with a big city. An really...abnormal city. It looked like normal, but some weird neon-like buildings and streets have been mixed-up together, and normal buildings looked somewhat distorted.

Ness adjusted his cap in shock. "I-Is this...Fourside...or Moonside?!" He asks, looking confused and horrified.

Aria comes by the portal. "I'm afraid it is both of them combined onto one." She says, looking sullen. "With the worlds collapsing, their reality gets warped. Illusions become real or mix up with natural locations."

Luigi winced as a rain drop fell from the gray skies. "Oh, jeez...Not only do we have to make through a crazy town, but we also have to deal with this." He groans, while the rain was starting to fall down.

Aria waved goodbye as she vanished. "Don't get too wet now!" She giggles. Luigi just rolls eyes and smiles as she disappeared.

Toad only looked at both, a bit baffled. "So...um...you guys gonna fill me in, right?" He asks.

Ness waves his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, let's just go to an hotel I know. We'll explain." He says, chuckling a bit.


	7. Chapter 6: The Trek to the Tower

**Oh, hello! Didn't think you'd still be reading this.**

**I need to apologize. I had some lack of ideas for my stories, that's why it took this long to update. That aaand I was on vacation, so that pretty much sums it up.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy this one. I hope I don't take this long in updating ever again.**

**00000000000000**

Getting to the hotel wasn't much of a hassle. There were some enemies, but they weren't so tough. Luigi payed the clerk for a night on the hotel to shelter themselves of the rain. Maybe tomorrow the sky would be clear...

Once getting to the room, Ness and Luigi sat down and explained everything to the captain. What happened, who was Aria, the team-up, everything.

"Hm, so that's what happened..." Toad mustered after catching up with the events that transpired.

"And it's bound to get worse from here." Luigi admitted. "If ya wanna help, ya gotta fight."

"Luigi's right, unfortunately." Ness spoke soon after. "The thing is...we barely won against you, so...we need all the help that we can get. And you are the only help we have now, so-"

"Don't worry, I won't falter." Toad interrupted, in a reassuring tone. "I will fight and do my best on my battlefield!"

"That's a relief!" Luigi said, smiling. "All right, let's hit the hay, tomorrow we got a long day of searching."

"Roger that, boss." Toad winked, and then jumped on his bed. Ness quickly followed suit, Luigi lagging behind just to close the curtains and the door. The three heroes soon started to sleep soundly...

(A dream...?)

_N...e...ss..._

_Ne...ss..._

_N...e...s...s..._

_Ness..._

_help me..._

_Help...me..._

_HELP!_

Ness found himself in the middle of...apparently nowhere. He quickly recognized the owner of the voice.

"Paula?!" He shouted. "Paula, where are you?"

"Right here." came a whisper from behind him.

"Wah?!" Ness quickly turned around to see Paula. "Oh, geez, you scared me. Why were you crying for help...?"

"Y'know, bad guys, like usual." She continued as if nothing had happened.

"Paula...are you okay? Where are the others? Have you seen Luigi's friends?" Ness rapidly asked, to which Paula let out a...weird giggle.

"Oh, them? They're fine. Nothing has happened...for now, at least." She said, keeping that calm tone.

Ness looked rather...appalled by how she looked so calm over the fact that her own partners may have been imprisoned and are on the verge of becoming Porky and Bowser's slaves.

"Ness. You must stay calm, even in the face of pressure." Paula suddenly said, in a complete serious tone. "No matter how hard a situation gets, you must be cautious."

"Eh? Why are you telling me this...?" The boy asked, looking confused at the girl.

"Soon you'll understand. Just take my word for it." Paula replied, putting a hand in Ness' shoulder. "After all, we're friends, right? You can trust me. And I can trust you..."

Ness was admittedly confused. Perhaps it was from the fact that Paula dropped this so suddenly, or things didn't add up much at the start. But what she said just now...he felt like everything would add up soon. Just like she said, they were friends. They trust each other.

"Yeah. You're right." Ness said, caressing Paula's hand resting comfortably on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Paula. Luigi, Toad and I will save you and everyone else from them!" He said to her, confidence running through his veins.

"I'm sure you will, Ness." Paula whispered softly to him before letting go of the boy's shoulder, slowly disappearing. "I'm sure you will..."

Ness only watched as she vanished from his sight. He adjusted his cap, a determined expression crossing his face. He was going to save _everyone._

_No matter the obstacle...no matter the opponent...I'll stop them!_

-0000000000000000-

Mario took a branch from a nearby tree, and sat down in thought.

The red-clad plumber was having troubles on going through the forest by night. He couldn't see much ahead, and seeing how vision was important to him now, he decided to make a torch.

Before he could put his TV knowledge to the test however, he heard a nearby bush rustle.

In a moment, adrenaline rushed through the plumber's body. What was a second seemed like an eternity for poor Mario. Tension arose quickly in him. He got up nervously, but soon entered in a battle stance, ready to pound who or whatever came through.

After several seconds, a guy in a pink suit wearing a pig mask soon came along. He didn't have any more time to even breathe, as Mario quickly shoved his fist onto the the man's face, knocking him unconscious. The red-clad plumber quickly remembered that those were Porky's servants...Pigmasks, were they called?

"Hmm...if there's a Pigmask here, there might be more around...which means..there might be a base somewhere!" Mario quickly rationalized before rushing towards the direction the Pigmask was walking against.

...Which soon culminated in running into other two Pigmasks.

"Oooink! In-intruder al-!" One Pigmask shouted before being grabbed by Mario and being thrown into his teammate.

"Augh! S-so that's Mario?" The other Pigmask groaned in defeat. "Ouch...Master Porky was lying about him being easy to capture...Augh, I feel like I'm crippled for life..."

"Geez, these guys sure are easy to beat!" Mario mused to himself as he reached the Pigmasks' base.

"Fancy seeing our target here!" said an oncoming Pigmask. He looked from a higher rank, as he had a white uniform and a regal-looking cape. "You cut off our time-wasting search! Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall send you off to our Pig King and Bowser at once."

Mario, however,just scoffed. "If those guys were the small fries, I'm afraid you won't be any better. Now, a good idea would be for you to step aside and let me take some of your rations. But if you wanna fight...well, get ready for a Mario Plummet Special!" The red-clad plumber threatened.

"Nice threat. But this won't work against me!" The high-rank Pigmask answered. "Are you ready for a fight?"

"You bet I am." The plumber said, with a fireball at his stand.

No words were traded after that. Both fearlessly charged at each other...

0000000000000000

"Rise and shine, kiddo." Luigi calmly spoke, shaking Ness awake. The kid groggily stood up, rubbing his eyes.

"What time is it...?" Ness asked.

"Well, it should be 8 AM...but..." Toad mumbled, pointing at the window. The sky looked black as if it was still night, the rain still falling. "I'm...not sure if time even matters in this place."

Luigi rested on a corner. "We should get moving. We can't stay here forever." The plumber said to both of them.

"I agree, but...where to go? We don't even know who's controlling this area..." Toad replied.

"Toad's right. We can't just circle the town in the middle of this rain." Ness supported. Luigi looked at the two with an understanding glare...

And then something was slid under their front door. The plumber grabbed the thing, and after examining it, he threw it to Ness.

"A letter for you." He said to Ness, to which the boy opened up and began to read it's content.

"_Mr. Ness,_

_I cordially invite you and your friends to the Polestar Tower in the name of our boss. She has important intel on Bowser and Porky, and she thinks such information could help you._

_The Polestar Tower can be easily seen from your position. It is the largest tower, white color with some neon signs. I sincerely hope you are coming here._

_With kindest regards,_

_A Butler from the Boss."_

After the three read the letter, the situation looked much better.

"Looks like we got our lead now, Luigi!" Toad exclaimed, ready to jump on his mech and start walking.

"Hm, you are right. We should go meet this boss." Luigi said.

Ness silently and slowly nodded, a worried expression on his face as he reviewed the letter. Polestar Tower...did the Polestars had a gigantic tower all this time? No...no, they couldn't. The school they held was also their house! They had to be at least at the same type of class as him. Maybe those were different Polestars? Or did the world mix-up just screwed things up that badly?

"We should be careful." Ness spoke up. "I think this might be a trap."

"You have a good point." Luigi replied. "Let's keep our guard up."

Toad nodded and reactivated the mech. The trio went out of the hotel, despite the rain. They weren't going to be stopped. The fate of their worlds hanged on their hands.

And they weren't going to let it end up like this.

0000000000000000

Meanwhile,in said Polestar Tower, somebody was already checking up on the trio.

"Well, the letter has surely gotten their attention." A mysterious girl commented.

"Yes, my Mistress. Do you want me to pick them up?" Came the voice of an young butler.

"...This will save our time. Prepare the car. I'm going to watch over them, you deliver them over here." the girl commanded.

The butler only bowed and left the room. The girl smirked evilly.

"Oh, Ness..." she whispered softly to the boy she was spying on.

"...I look forward to our...reunion. Hahaha..."

**00000000000000**

**You probably already know who she is.**

**Next chapter will focus more on Mario and the rest of the prisoners (I think.)**

**Anyways, see y'all next time, take care!**


End file.
